


together

by connabeth



Series: Something Permanent [2]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Implied Sexual Content, pre-college percabeth
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-24
Updated: 2020-05-24
Packaged: 2021-03-03 06:54:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,213
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24346840
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/connabeth/pseuds/connabeth
Summary: Their days contemplating the future in the Jackson-Blofis apartment before heading off to college
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson
Series: Something Permanent [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1748083
Comments: 18
Kudos: 166
Collections: favorite on PJO





	together

It had been around six months since Estelle was born. Percy and Annabeth were just about ready to head off to college in California at New Rome and Berkeley within the next few days. They were doing last-minute shopping and packing (“I don't need a laundry hamper!” “Yes, you do, Seaweed Brain. I will never step foot in your dorm if there is a single pair of dirty boxers on the floor.”) They had left camp a few days ago and were spending their last days in New York before the fall term at the Jackson/Blofis apartment so they could enjoy some quality family time with Sally, Paul, and, of course, baby Estelle. 

Percy had to admit, as much as he loved his baby sister, he kind of hated the timing of the whole thing. He’d be away at college and eventually moving into his own home and hopefully raising his own family with Annabeth while his little sister grew up. He really wished Paul had come into his mom’s life when he was a lot younger. Maybe they wouldn’t have had to deal with Gabe for so long. Maybe he could have watched his sister grow up and had some company in their little apartment. It was really going to suck, coming back to New York during breaks, realizing he missed her first words, her first steps, her first sentences. But he promised himself he would IM his mom every single day to be as present as possible in his baby sister’s life. And a part of him was also glad she hadn’t been born amidst the chaos of the Great Prophecy days.

Other than that, Percy was ecstatic. This was what he’d been dreaming of since he was twelve and found out about the demigod world for the first time, the world that had knocked him off his feet without warning and kept him on his toes ever since. As much as he was nostalgic for those early days of questing with Annabeth and Grover, he wanted a break more than anything.

He just wanted some semblance of normalcy. And it wasn’t that he wanted to reject his identity as a hero or a demigod. Not at all. In fact, he loved spending time at camp, training the new kids, leading Capture the Flag, starting food fights in the dining pavilion, slipping underwater and talking to the sea creatures, and, of course, sneaking Annabeth into his cabin at night. At Camp Jupiter, he was going to be surrounded by demigods, legacies, satyrs, and other not-fully-human beings and he was looking forward to it. He wanted to find a safe space within this world for the longest time, a place to grow up and reach certain milestones, without having to worry about defending himself and his loved ones from monsters (as often).

He honestly never had thought he would make it to this point. He hadn’t counted on surviving past 16, or even 17 during the war with Gaea. But he had. Thanks to Annabeth, mostly.

She always had his back and he had hers. She was always a grounding force for him, anchoring him to the mortal world in more ways than one. Sure, she had been a large factor in him declining immortality more than once (and she had rejected the idea of immortality too, by standing up against Circe and deciding not to join the Hunt). But she also rooted him to his humanity, not just his mortality. When he was far gone, when the darkness was rolling over him in waves, she was the only one who could reel him back, remind him of who he was. When something inside him fractured, when he did things he never thought he would be capable of doing, she was the only one who could mend him. She understood him like no one else. She was his light at the end of the tunnel, the person he wanted to spend his eternity making memories with. She was his home. And he was hers.

And they were going to college together, and he hoped they were going to do everything else together too. He hadn’t explicitly talked to Annabeth about her views on kids. Yes, he was certain they were meant to be together forever (he still didn’t understand what he did to deserve that, but he’ll take it), but he was still an awkward, insecure eighteen year old who didn’t want to freak out his girlfriend and force his ideas for the future on her. But, if he had to guess, she probably wanted that kind of future with him, too. All she yearned for for the longest time was a permanent family, and she had finally found that in him, so she wouldn’t exactly be opposed to expanding it. Plus, c’mon, there’s no denying it, they would make the cutest babies.

Speaking of babies, Annabeth sat next to him, curled up on the couch, carefully holding baby Estelle in her lap. The more time Annabeth spent around Estelle, the less nervous she had become about handling a baby, but she was still a little unsure of herself. Percy always assured her she was great and that she calmed Estelle down better than anyone else except Sally. 

Annabeth knew she could tackle any obstacle head-on, strategize a million ways to succeed in her efforts in pretty much anything she put her mind to. But kids were a little different. They were living, breathing human beings, not blueprints or battle plans. Sure, she had experience raising and training younger siblings and campers, but she wasn’t fully responsible for them. They still had their own families.

Annabeth wanted kids, with Percy, but she doubted her maternal instinct, if she had any. Growing up, she obviously didn’t have the most stellar parental figures in her life. Chiron was the closest she had to an actual dad and now, Sally, the closest thing to a mother. Sally was really the only example she had to follow.

But, looking at the people around her, she knew that even if she struggled a lot when the time came she would have the best support system. Anyone could tell Percy was going to make the best dad, and Sally and Paul the best grandparents.

She wasn’t in this alone. It was a concept, a little foreign, she sometimes still had some trouble wrapping her mind around because she was alone for the longest time. But every day she spent with Percy was a reminder that it was never going to be that way again. And she would be forever grateful someone like him had wormed his way into her life and her heart. She glanced at him from the corner of her eye, lips slightly turning upward at the way he was openly staring at her and his sister.

Estelle, thank the gods (or rather, Sally Jackson Blofis), was a relatively calm baby. She had her moments of painful screeching and wailing, and Annabeth could tell from the mischievous twinkle in her wide eyes that she was going to grow up to be just as much a troublemaker as her big brother, but for now Estelle was an angel.

Estelle softly blinked up at her, with three of her fingers stuffed into her mouth. The kid stared at Annabeth quite a lot and Annabeth wasn’t sure why (Can you blame her?, Percy would say, winking), but she’d never get used to the way the little girl gazed at her in wonder. It made her feel all mushy and warm on the inside.

Soft whimpers broke Annabeth out of her trance, as Estelle began fussing again. Well, she had a good run.

Sally had gone to take a nap a couple hours ago at Percy and Annabeth’s insistence. The poor woman had been juggling handling Estelle, taking the couple shopping, helping them pack, and dealing with her book release. She really deserved some rest. And Annabeth was more than happy to take Estelle off of her hands for a little while.

Annabeth really loved those quiet moments she shared with Estelle cradled in either her or Percy’s arms, the three of them bundled together on the couch. But when Estelle began crying, it took some time to calm her down so Annabeth wanted to placate her before she got to that stage.

“What’s wrong, Stella?” she cooed at the girl in a baby voice, pressing a whisper of a kiss to her tiny forehead. “What do you need, sweetheart?”

Estelle only began kicking her limbs erratically in response and Annabeth rocked her gently to soothe her. Percy leaned over, muttering “It’s ok, Tellie, don’t cry. Beth, I’m gonna go get the teddy bear.” She nodded, and with a quick kiss to both their cheeks, Percy lifted himself off the couch to go find the stuffed animal she had gifted to Estelle.

Annabeth cradled Estelle close to her body, offering words of comfort, desperately hoping she wouldn’t start crying and wake her poor, tired mother up. Estelle turned to the side slightly and began flailing her arms at Annabeth’s chest and making grabbing motions with her little chubby fingers.

“You want your toy? Your big brother’s getting it, sweetie, don’t cry.” In all honesty, Annabeth had no clue how to comfort a baby. She usually just talked to them like they were a normal human being and hoped it would work. Call it luck or call it skill, but things usually ended up in her favor. She was also never one to use pet names (although, don’t tell Percy, but on the occasions he called her sweetheart or baby she got the urge to spontaneously combust), but she couldn’t help herself when it came to Estelle. Percy thought it was adorable.

Estelle whined and raised her head up and tried to latch on to Annabeth’s breast through her tank top. Annabeth’s eyes widened in recognition. Of course it was hunger, she should’ve known. She really didn’t want to wake up Sally, so she gently pulled Estelle away from her body and went to the fridge to find a bottle that Sally had already pumped. Percy entered the room, teddy bear in hand, while she was rummaging through the fridge.

“Hey, I brought the bear...what are you doing?” he asked, eyebrows pulling together.

“She needs milk,” Annabeth responded distractedly. “I thought Sally said she put it on the top shelf but I can’t find it.” Percy strode over and Annabeth stepped back, letting him look.

“Bottom shelf. I had to move it yesterday to fit the groceries up there.” He crouched down and grabbed a bottle, handing it to Annabeth. “How did you know she was hungry and it wasn’t something else?”

“Well we just changed her diaper, so it wasn’t that. Plus, she just tried to feed.”

“On you?” Percy smirked. “Tellie…” he tsked in joking disapproval, “you know those ones are for me, right?”

Estelle did not dignify that with a response and Annabeth resorted to swatting him in the chest, face flushing bright pink. “Percy,” she chided, warningly.

“Sorry, sorry,” he said, clearly not sorry at all, devilish smirk still present on his face.

She rolled her eyes and mader her way back to the couch and began feeding the little girl in her arms. Percy followed behind her and settled onto the couch, nestling into her side. It was quiet for a few minutes, save the noises of Estelle sucking on the bottle and gurgling.

Finally, Percy broke the silence. “You’re so good with her, you know that? I know you think yourself to be very logical and career-driven, but you’re gonna make a great mom someday. I mean…”, Percy faltered, “if you want to be. I’m not saying we have to or anything─I mean, you have to or anything─sorry, let me rephrase─”

“Percy,” she interrupted, with a teasing, but fond smile on her lips. “Thank you for saying that, it means more than you can imagine.” She was always insecure when it came to her abilities as a caregiver, but Percy’s reassurance settled some of the fear in her gut that she had of ever becoming a mother, just because those words came from him. He was never insincere. And he had good instincts. She proceeded a little nervously under his intense gaze. “And...we will...whenever we’re ready. After we both get our degrees. And get stable jobs. And get married. But if things don’t go according to plan, as usual, and we end being parents earlier than expected...I’m glad that you’re the one I’ll have by my side. We’ve been through a lot of shit together. I’m sure we could handle kids,” she reached over and squeezed his hand, tenderly. “...Well, with a lot of help from your mom,” she amended.

He had a soft blush on his cheeks, and he smiled, uncharacteristically shy. He squeezed her hand back and leaned over to kiss her forehead, wrapping his arms around her shoulder. He didn’t need to say anything. She already knew. Whatever came their way, whether it was a nasty monster, an unexpected prophecy, or a fussy baby, they’d face it the same way they did everything else: together.

**Author's Note:**

> If anyone has any suggestions or ideas for the next installment, feel free to let me know in the comments! Thanks for reading!


End file.
